This Little Light of Mine Speaks

Poem arranged into sheet music scaling from whole notes to eight notes. Music notes appear directly above each line of the poem's text, which reads as follows: Remember little girl. It was the deacon—ess who taught you the side-eye. Only then like a lesson theft from Eve did you see your other self reflected as a bastard pew through the eyes of those who pretend—ed to see. Say it to the mirror: I was glared into existence yes, and that was when your voice crowned— not to be mistake—n for gold or glint, and you understood the consequence of open, how unruly how un—child of—God—like: you with the flexed back n ’ the shoulder bop n’ the lop—sided pigtail, a metro—no—me swingin’ a sweet tic in your ear. You out—grew your own shadow, thought you could lead the choir to light four feet be—neath the belt of faith, absolute in your wrong—ness. Only then did your world pay attention.

Credit

Copyright © 2020 by Crystal Valentine. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 24, 2020, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“I draw inspiration from the life, legacy, and resilience of Tina Turner and her biopic ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It.’ Seeing her depicted from childhood to adulthood on screen provided me with a lexicon for the traumas committed against my community and by the hands of my community. I use this lexicon and my own admiration to personify the songs that have molded Turner’s (and my) life by transcribing my poems into sheet music. Additionally, I use this transcription to navigate the notions of violence, visibility, and space through the lens of Black girlhood. When words fail me, I turn to music symbols, or even white space to communicate context and subtext. Using a Simple 4/4 time signature, I can return to the sound, tempo, and weight of the past, and show the facts: who was and is allowed to occupy the most space, and at whose expense is this space—this visibility and humanity—stolen.”
—Crystal Valentine